Americanism

During the middle and last years of the Viet Nam War, the men who returned as Veterans from that war received a less than welcomed homecoming. The hero’s who enlisted or were drafted to fight the war (that if lost would create a Communist domino effect so pervasive as to infect the west coast of America) were considered bad guys even Un-American. They were our Troops but somehow seemed to have chosen the wrong war to fight.There was a definition of Americanism in the 60’s that somehow precluded the energies and efforts of a whole generation of Troops who had the audacity to fight a war that supposedly would have made America a pawn of the Red Chinese if lost. We looked upon our Viet Nam Vets as if they were zombies providing them with disapproval and disavow. It took a few later generations of Americans to grasp a fresher understanding of what these men and women had experienced; as well as a whole lot of soul searching to believe that what they did was actually true Americanism.

Bowe Bergdahl has been released after 5 years of captivity by the Taliban and the response from the Right is as if Satan somehow was set free to roam the shores of America. Without the mere attempt to hear his true story, a minutes chance to embrace the return of a soldier from the dreaded enemies of Afghanistan, the opportunity to say all of our Troops are no longer in the custody of Bush’s Axis of Evil, the Right Wing in their usual self proclaimed definers of life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and of course everything Christian American have ravaged, mangled and misaligned a moment in history. Once again a group of citizens with nothing more than conglomeration of confused facts have demonized a man held prisoner. No one has to honor Bowe Bergdahl, no one has to respect him, no one has to salute his return; but we as Americans should be able to be grateful that he was an American who originally enlisted to fight a war for the honor of the US; a war that even at its origins had confusion, complications and absolutely no exit strategy!  All of sudden, once again FOX News (and how many of those pundents have ever enlisted to fight an All-American War), T-Publicans (who love to hum the tune of God Bless America, never ever understanding the words), and their play of pay politicians are trying to redefine what Americanism means. Americans have decided to rewrite the definition of Americanism.

This nation loves to establish the definitions of right from wrong, and what it means to be American, until both of those definitions become awkward to support or harder to communicate. We love to decide who is a good guy and with the same whim make him bad. We love to be judge and jury even before the trial materializes. We love to invoke the red, white and blue then suddenly pull the rug out from under our flag when we confuse those colors with bias, bigotry, ignorance and arrogance. No deals with the devil we say. How dare this turn coat not suffer his consequences. He does not pledge allegiance like I do so he must not be the real kind of American as I am. I heard he was bad, so before I find out the truth I want to punish him. All Viet Nam Vets signed up to fight a war that never should have been launched so they must be bad Americans. This man who enlisted then had the audacity to change his mind about the cause, so he is not American enough. I know what being an American is, even if I have never ever demonstrated its definitions in my own life. I know what Americanism, but you had better ask me now because I may change my mind tomorrow.